Everton need warriors not this wilting bunch

EVERTON need to have a plan to get out of this mess because they haven’t had one so far.

And the fans have every right to demand that the owner comes out and tells them what that plan is. Something has to radically change. Frank Lampard is from a good football family and with these results he knows something has to give. But if you change the manager it is still this same crop of players.

How can a side that drew 1-1 with Manchester City roll over so easily at West Ham? They had no confidence, no strength, no pace, they were careless with the ball and never looked like scoring. You need a reaction. Some of those players need to be dug out by their team-mates, that is what I would have done.

I didn’t play well every week, but I would put the bloody effort in. If we need to sell one or two of them then sell them. Everton have got a huge week ahead in the transfer window and if financial restrictions dictate we can’t get what we need then try to sell. But we have to recruit people of stature, real men, because this lot are wilting.

If the big plan at the end of last season was to sell Richarlison and get by with the new players brought in then it simply hasn’t worked. After the emotions at the end of last season, the hope was that it was an experience to learn from and never be revisited, but here we are again.

If you’ve worked hard for your money, spent it travelling to London to back your team and you get that kind of performance in return then why are we so surprised when fans protest? They have every right to criticise the board because they can’t believe what is happening to their club. What I do draw the line at is when it gets personal. If some fans think club legend Graeme Sharp isn’t as equally upset as them over what is happening to Everton, they are sorely mistaken.

The owner, Farhad Moshiri, said what happens to Frank isn’t his decision; I presume by that he means he is taking counsel. The trouble is, since the owner came in he has been pulled in too many different directions by too many people. He is in charge, so now he has to come up with an escape plan fast — and stick to it.